Looking at the shape of the art world's character today, there is one aspect that clearly stands out. Modern art's trajectory, which remains centred in Northwestern Europe and the United States, is experiencing a shifting of axis. Countries long exempt from participation, such as Turkey, are eager t

For fans of Sex and the City – a television series and movie centred on the lives of four single women living in New York City – the summer movie sequel Sex and The City 2 promised fashion, fun, friendships and more. Viewers who watched it when it premiered on 15 July in Lebanon felt it delivered on

In Somaliland’s 26 June presidential elections, voters were faced with a pivotal choice in determining their future prosperity, security, freedom and peace. On that date, which marked the 50th anniversary of Somaliland’s independence from British rule, citizens voted to change the current regime tha

The beginning of 2010 saw much violence directed towards Indonesia’s religious minorities. On 3 January, a group called the People Communication Forum burnt down the Filadelfia Church, a house of worship for the Protestant Batak Christians in Bekasi, West Java. In a separate instance, extremist grou

In this age of widespread misperceptions that Islam is a religion of violence and intolerance, an Islamic peace education curriculum, addressing peacebuilding from an authentic Islamic perspective, is essential.
A group of 35 Muslim educators from eight countries came to Mindanao, the second large

“What is it like to live in Egypt as a Western woman?” During the years I lived in Cairo, I was often asked this question while visiting my native Finland, or when travelling outside the Middle East.
My short answer was “different”.
In fact, I was asked this so many times that I decided to write

Papers around the world have speculated that Hosni Mubarak, the 82-year-old Egyptian president, is suffering from terminal stomach and pancreatic cancer and may not live to see the next presidential elections. This has once again raised the crucial question of political succession in Egypt, the Arab

Have you ever heard of Bhim Sen Sachar? Surely not. In the elections to the last Punjab Assembly before independence, he was elected from the Lahore city seat in a predominantly Muslim constituency, and he won a resounding victory. The run up to 1947 was not all hate after all.
Our children are ne

Lucknow-based Swami Lakshmi is not, as his last name might suggest, an orthodox Brahminical priest. He heads the ‘Hindu-Muslim Unity Front’, dedicated to promoting harmony between Muslims and Hindus. His way of promoting the cause is somewhat unique: exploring and highlighting what he regards as the

Egyptians are tired of the problems that have persisted for decades: the corruption and bribery that paralyse the nation’s law enforcement and legal system; the perpetual poverty that 20 per cent of the population suffers from; the nearly constant 10 per cent rate of unemployment; and a flawed educa

The recent controversy over the Freedom Flotilla heading to Gaza with humanitarian aid has sparked heated debates in every venue where people exchange their opinions, online and off.
However, it isn't only the violence that occurred on the flotilla that deserves our attention, but also the attitud

Blogs are becoming increasingly popular in Lebanon as they cover the political and social landscape, expressing society’s demands. As a result, blogs and online groups have become a true political tool in the hands of civil society to promote causes online.
Many web actors, mainly bloggers, are wor

When it comes to determining what is appropriate for a free press to report and publish, government regulation by any name is censorship. And censorship, especially in a democracy, is a slippery slope indeed. This would appear to be the path the Pakistani government is tracing with its efforts to ba

Greek word "phobos" which we get in English as "phobia" meaning Fear. The literal meaning of fear is to be afraid of or anxious about something. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger. In Bible two types of threat is mentioned, fear of God and worldly fear, which includes fea

This Fourth of July, Americans gathered at barbeques, watched firework displays and remembered the men who assembled in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776. For many, the celebrations serve as a reminder of the value of freedom, of a country forged by the people in direct op